GE’s use of Google Glass

August 14, 2017

When Google announced the revival of Google Glass, it came armed with evidence that the augmented reality glasses have a real market — in the enterprise space. The company showcased major customers like GE, Agco, DHL, and Sutter Health already piloting Google Glass Enterprise Edition.

AR is certainly something many business leaders have already considered: A Tech Pro Research survey conducted last year showed that 39 percent of respondents were already using AR at their organization. Of those who weren’t, 67 percent said they were thinking about it. Meanwhile, analysts are optimistic about the market: IDC tallied around 111,000 AR headsets already in the commercial segment in 2016 and projected that there will be more than 20 million by 2021 — that’s a 184 percent CAGR, giving the commercial segment 83 percent of AR headset market share in 2021.

So what’s going to drive that growth between now and 2021? GE’s use of Google Glass demonstrates how AR has finally hit a maturity level where major enterprises can feel confident it’s worth the investment. For a major entity like GE, changing workflows to adopt new technologies like AR is no small effort.